13 small things to simplify your workday

[Daniel E.]

13 small things to simplify your workday
by Leo Babauta, ZenHabits.net

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” ~Lao Tzu


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One of the best things I did when I decided to simplify my life was to simplify my workday — first at my day job and later, by quitting my day job, in the work I do now as a writer and entrepreneur.

I’ve eliminated most of the routine, boring, administrative tasks with a few simple principles.

These days, I have eliminated the non-essentials, and can focus on what I truly love: creating.

Not everyone can make such drastic steps toward simplicity, but if you have some control over your workday, you can do a few small things that will simplify things greatly.

If you don’t have control, or if you find yourself thinking, “I can’t do these things”, I’d start to ask why not? Is it possible to change things, if not today then over the long term? I found that often I thought something wasn’t possible (working from home, for example), but in the long run they were.

You don’t need to do all of these things — pick just one, and try it. Then try another and see if it works.

Experiment to find what works for you.

And enjoy the simple work life.

1. Start early. Going into work early was one of my favorite tricks — it was quiet, before the phones and chatter and meetings started, and I could get a lot of work done in peace. By the time everyone else was getting started, I’d gotten two or three big tasks checked off.
2. Limit your hours. It’s ironic, because so many people work long hours and think they’re getting more done and being more productive. But they’re throwing brute hours at the problem. Instead, cut back on your hours and set a limit — say 6 or 7 hours a day — and get your most essential work done within that limit. If you know you’re only working 6 hours today, you’ll be sure to get the important tasks done first and waste less time. Limits force you to be effective.
3. Make a short list. Make a long list of all the tasks you need to do … then make a short list of 1-3 things you really want to get done. Choose so that, if you got only these tasks done, you’d be proud of what you did today. Start with the most important task, before checking email or reading online.
4. Batch distractions. What are your common distractions? Perhaps things like email, reading blogs, Twitter or another social network? Set a time for these, preferably later in the day: say, from 3-4 p.m. Don’t do the distractions before then. By grouping them all into one time period, you allow yourself to do other work first, but still get in your distraction time. Another approach might be to do them for 10 minutes at the end of each hour — but stick to that 10-minute limit!
5. Write shorter emails. If email takes up a lot of your day, the simple change of limiting yourself to 3-4 sentences per email will make a big difference. First, it’ll drastically shorten the time it takes to write or respond to emails. And second, it’ll shorten responses to your emails, which means you’ll spend less time reading email.
6. Limit meetings. The fewer the better. Some top Google executives just do 5-minute meetings — anyone who attends these meetings had better be prepared, and concise. If you can get out of meetings and just get the notes, or find an alternative way to communicate, it could save you hours per week.
7. Automate. The fewer repetitive and routine tasks you have to do, the more time you’ll free up for creating and important work. So automate wherever possible: have people fill things out electronically, or get info from your website instead of emailing or calling you, or use a service that automatically processes payments or ships your product, and so on.
8. Eliminate paperwork. I used to deal with a lot of paperwork, and even then I knew it was a waste of my time. If businesses and organizations could have paperwork filled out electronically, it would save a lot of paper, copying, filing, and duplicate effort. Whenever possible, eliminate paperwork in favor of digital. This might be more of a long-term move.
9. Clear your desk. This can be done in a few minutes. Clear everything off the top of your desk. Only put back a few essential items. Everything else should be: filed, given to the appropriate person, given a permanent spot in a drawer, or trashed/recycled. Make quick decisions and then get back to work.
10. Get away. If you can get out of your office, you can find a peaceful spot where you can focus on important work. Find a spot where you can work, turn off the Internet and do your work, and then turn the Internet back on so you can email or upload it to the appropriate spot. Working from home is a good option here. The more you can do this (it might be once a week, or an hour a day, or half of every workday), the better.
11. Take breathing breaks. Every 15-20 minutes, get up from your desk, and take a breathing break. It could be simply walking around the office, saying hi to someone, or even better, getting outside to get some fresh air. Walk around, get your blood circulating, perhaps massage your neck and shoulders if you feel tension. Do some pushups if you want to get fitter. When you get back to work, remind yourself what you want to be working on, and clear away all distractions.
12. Practice a focus ritual. Every hour or two, do a refocus ritual. This only takes a minute or two. You might start it by closing down your browser and maybe other open applications, and maybe even take a walk for a couple of minutes to clear your head and get your blood circulating. Then return to your list of Most Important Tasks and figure out what you need to accomplish next. Before you check email again or go back online, work on that important task for as long as you can. Repeat this refocus ritual throughout the day, to bring yourself back. It’s also nice to take some nice deep breaths to focus yourself back on the present. More focus rituals.
13. Schedule big blocks of creative time. Not everyone can do this, but when possible, put a big block of 3-4 hours in your schedule for creating or doing other important work. Make this time inviolate, and don’t allow meetings or other things to be scheduled during this time. Be ruthless about clearing distractions and doing the work you love during these blocks, taking breathing breaks as necessary. Rejoice in your creativity.

If you liked this guide, please bookmark it on Delicious or share on Twitter. Thanks, my friends.

 

[Daniel E.]

Some quotes from a new article:

“The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” ~Frances E. Willard

"It’s not the work which kills people, it’s the worry." ~Henry Ward Beecher

Frictionless Work: How to Clear Your Life of Non-Essential Tasks

 

[Daniel E.]

8 Tips for Working from Home with Mental Illness
By MARGARITA TARTAKOVSKY, M.S.

People with mental illness struggle with the same time management troubles, distraction dilemmas and isolation issues as others without mental illness.

With no time clock to punch and no boss monitoring your comings and goings, starting the day can be difficult, according to Deborah Serani, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and author of Living with Depression: Why Biology and Biography Matter along the Path to Hope and Healing. Or, just the opposite, you might work through your days and even on weekends, she said.

Working from home is tricky because it “requires a person to shift…from personal to professional mode,” Serani said. And that means a lot of self-discipline, which is regularly tested with piles of laundry and dirty dishes, she said.

Other sights and sounds also can pilfer productivity, she said. For Therese Borchard, author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression &Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes, those distractions are her two lab-chow mutts, who ferociously bark at passersby, and a barrage of phone calls.

In addition to struggling with the same concerns, individuals managing a mental illness also grapple with unique challenges. Below, Borchard and Serani, who both live with mental illness, provide productivity pointers and share what works for them.

1. Create structure. Structure helps to create boundaries around work, home and play, which boosts productivity. Serani has been a self-employed psychologist and work-at-homer for almost 20 years, so she’s developed a good rhythm that keeps her productive. “I awaken the same time every day, and give myself two hours to get as much chore work and personal work done as I can.” Any tasks that are left get done after work.

2. Set realistic goals. Be sensible about what you can accomplish in a workday and at home, Serani said. “Living with a mental illness requires us to strive for well being each and every day,” she said. So it’s key to avoid overextending or overcommitting yourself to either home or work projects.

3. Map out your day. Productivity also requires a specific plan. For instance, Borchard writes down a task she needs to accomplish and approximately how much time it’ll take. Again, keep these goals reasonable. “I would give myself two to three hours to write a blog post. Some took longer, and others were easier,” said Borchard, who also writes the widely popular blog Beyond Blue.

4. Identify what you need to work well. “The best advice I have is for readers to learn what they need to be at their best — and then try to create that structure as your own blueprint for work,” Serani said. For instance, she doesn’t mix work and play, even on her computer. “My work computer doesn’t have my personal email address or any of the fun sites, games or social networks bookmarked.” She also keeps her phone away from the office and has a mini-fridge near her workspace so she doesn’t break her concentration when needing a drink or snack.

With the help of her doctor, Serani also adjusted the time of day she takes her medication. Taking it in the morning made her tired during the workday, so she started taking it at night instead.

Borchard found that headphones and Pandora, a personalized Internet radio service, help to block out her barking dogs and other distractions. She also turns the ringer off on her office phone.

“When you live with mental illness you need to create an environment that enables you to reach your potential. Look at what is working well, pat yourself on the back and keep that momentum going,” Serani said. If something isn’t working — like Serani’s previous medication schedule — brainstorm ways you can make changes.

5. Work ahead. On the days you’re feeling well, accomplish projects ahead of schedule, so you can take time off when you need it, Borchard said. “I always tried to have a few blog posts ready to publish in case I couldn’t write for a couple of days,” she said.

6. Keep stress at bay. “Research tells us that stress overload not only intensifies symptoms of mental illness, but can trigger relapses in individuals who are symptom-free,” Serani said. Not surprisingly, this also affects your ability to work.Keeping stress at bay means taking extra good care of yourself, Serani said. She pays particular attention to stress-inducing events, tries to minimize their impact and schedules time to decompress. “I generally take breaks out of the house — like a short walk, eating lunch on the patio or just resting in a pool of sunshine on the sofa in my office.” She also schedules dates with friends and family.

7. Make time for healthy practices. “I make sure that I eat well,sleep well and exercise often to help keep my mind, body and soul in synch,” Serani said. Borchard wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to swim and goes to bed at 9 p.m. Healthy habits aren’t just critical for well-being; they also help to prevent relapse.

8. Accept that you’ll have a bad day — or week. “Research shows that those who have the daily struggle of living with mental illness are prone to more self-criticism than non-mentally ill age peers,” Serani said.

Without even knowing it, you might be playing disparaging tapes in your head, which only make you feel worse. “’I can’t believe I can’t get out of bed and start my work day!’ is not only self-critical, it places undue shame and guilt into the mix,” she said.

Instead, according to Serani, you might say, “Some days are harder than others. And today I’m going to need some extra time to get out of bed — and get my mind into work mode.”

“It’s important to build a soft cushion of acceptance in the margins of your work life when you have a chronic illness, where you can regroup without guilt or shame if you’re having a particularly tough day, or as you’re bouncing back to a more grounded state,” she said. For Serani, that means not comparing her professional or personal life to anyone else’s, knowing what she needs when she’s having a rough day and staying positive about her illness.

Again, chronic mental illness is taxing. And while it’s frustrating when you can’t be as productive as you’d like, try to take it easy on yourself.“

When I was in the midst of my most severe depression, I couldn’t write at all. For almost a year,” Borchard said. “I try to remember that when I have a bad day where my brain feels like silly putty and I am not able to string two words together. I try to remember that courage isn’t doing a heroic thing, but getting up day after day and trying again.”​